Mason-Griffin outshines Jordan's son in hoops tourney

Published 5:30 am, Friday, April 18, 2008

Marcus Jordan did all he could to make an impact in Friday night’s game against the Houston Hoops, but he couldn’t shake the presence of a familiar No. 23.

No, it wasn’t his Airness, Michael Jordan, but rather Madison point guard Tommy Mason-Griffin, who wears the same jersey number, who battled Jordan at both ends of the court.

Jordan, a guard/forward for the Chicago’s Rising Stars and youngest son of NBA legend Michael Jordan, had the hot hand in the first half, but Mason-Griffin came alive down the stretch to help lead the Hoops to a 80-74 win in the pool play round of the Houston Kingwood Classic at Legends Sport Complex.

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The Hoops took a 70-55 lead with 4:36 remaining and it appeared that they were on their way to a huge win. That outlook didn’t last long with Marcus Jordan hitting a layup and Nik Garcia (18 points) connected on four consecutive three-pointers to send the Rising Stars on a 14-2 run that cut the deficit to 72-69.

Mason-Griffin, who finished with 16 points, helped the Hoops avert the threat by hitting a bucket and two free throws in the final 25 seconds to seal the win.

Marcus Jordan and Mason-Griffin were matched against each other for much of the night, and each provided highlights. Jordan, who had 16 points, broke down the Hoops’ defense for several layups, and Mason-Griffin wowed the crowd with a few ankle-breaking crossovers.

Jordan managed to avoid Mason-Griffin’s crossovers, but, nonetheless, he was impressed by his adversary.

“He’s a great player,” Jordan said. “He’s fast and quick. He’s got a good first step. He’s smart. He knows when to take his shots, when to pass it, when to go to the lane, and when to pull up.”

Mason-Griffin, likewise, had his hands full with the 6-foot-3 Jordan, who stars at Chicago’s Whitney Young High.

“You didn’t really want to back off him and let him shoot, but he’s quick and strong at the same time, so you really don’t know how to guard him,” Mason-Griffin said. “He’s strong, athletic and fast. He’s a pretty good player.”

Friday night’s game could be the prelude to a possible rematch between the Hoops and Rising Stars in the Kingwood Classic, a non-scholastic tournament between several of the nation’s Amateur Athletic Union teams. The two teams play in the 17-and-under division and are slotted in Pool C.

Friday’s game provided Jordan with a rare up-close look at Mason-Griffin, who has established himself as one of the area’s best players.

Jordan thinks that he’ll be better prepared for a rematch against the 5-9 Mason-Griffin, who is now considering Texas, Oklahoma, Baylor and Texas A&M as his potential college destination after pulling his commitment from LSU about two weeks ago.

“I’ve seen him play a couple of times,” Jordan said. “He played against my (older) brother Jeff, and my brother said he was a good player. I haven‘t really seen too much, but I knew he was good, so I had my work cut off for me. Hopefully, we’ll see him again.”